Ghost City Raiders

Publisher: Vulpinoid Studios

The world as we know it is a dark and sinister place. No-one knows what caused the world to change, but when the dark times came, it was only a matter of time before the old empires and nations fell. War, pestilence and rioting decimated the population; the sky was filled with volcanic ash for months. No sunlight reached the ground for months, killing the weaker plants, bringing a chill to the air that plunged the world into a shadowy ice age. Slowly the light returned, revealing shattered cities of a former age, and nightmares that had awakened during the months of darkness, feeding on the soul energy of the dying billions.

In the wilderness, the creatures of myth and legend have reclaimed the territories that were once theirs. In the cities lie mutants and monsters, but for every danger there is a great marvel or treasure to be found. From the technological gadgets and devices made by methods long forgotten, books filled with knowledge of the old ways, scrap metals for rebuilding the future, and canned food to survive the harshest times.

Many of the world's survivors live in tiny settlements on the outskirts of the former cities, scared to go in the shattered rusting canyons themselves; they send in their young, according great prestige and honor on those who return with the goods necessary for survival. They call them the Ghost City Raiders.

Ghost City Raiders is a game for two or more players using the Pocketmod format. Eight tiny pages describe what you need to know in order to play the game. Each player gets an eight-page booklet that describes their character, and the ways the rules change for them. The specific stories are told in the form of eight-page scenario booklets. (You need a set of core rules, at least one character booklet, and at least one scenario booklet to start playing.)

The character booklets provide options for character advancement along specifically themed lines. The scenarios tell a wide variety of stories that can be combined to weave narratives of post-apocalyptic survival and mayhem.

Beyond the booklets, a group needs a standard deck of cards, an assortment of tokens, and maybe a few figurines to play a single game (though the figurines aren't strictly necessary).

With ten starting characters, ten starting booklets, and a single set of core rules, two players could theoretically play the game in over 1,000 different ways; with more players, the options are virtually endless.

This is the core set of rules for the game. The first collection of characters and scenarios are available separately, with more to be released every month for the foreseeable future. Or you can buy them as a complete starter bundle. If you play the game and write a review about it on a blog or on a forum somewhere, we'd love to hear about it; and as an incentive, we'll send you an exclusive free character and scenario.

If you have any ideas for scenarios and character types, we'll also consider working with your ideas to incorporate them into the game.